


Worry

by iamfitzwilliamdarcy



Series: Finding Fatherhood [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-06
Updated: 2014-09-06
Packaged: 2018-02-16 09:17:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2264199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamfitzwilliamdarcy/pseuds/iamfitzwilliamdarcy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Iroh worries about Zuko, and his worry isn’t always misplaced. Takes place sometime in Book 2. Mentions of prostitution and sexual assault.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Worry

Iroh worried about Zuko. He tried not to; Zuko was strong, a talented fighter, capable of taking care of himself. But Zuko, though he’d traveled much of the world in the past three years, had never really had much contact with people. He’d been sheltered in the palace and then he’d been mostly at sea with his crew. Not that he’d never met people throughout their search—the interactions were just limited. 

And for all that Zuko was hotheaded, quick to snap, and suspicious, he was also rather naïve. Iroh worried about the lengths he would go to prove himself in any situation. Still, he tried not to hover. He remembered when Lu Ten was that age, desperate for independence. He’d give Iroh one of his cheeky grins or roll his eyes when he thought Iroh was treating him like a child. Zuko was different from Lu Ten, far more serious with many more struggles, but there were universal things about teenage boys, and Iroh supposed that was one.

So he tried not to suffocate Zuko. They stuck together mostly, but Iroh let him go off on his own when he wanted to with only whispered “Be carefuls” and reminders of “No firebending.” They earned him an eyeroll or, if he was lucky, an “I know, I know.” Iroh almost preferred it that way. It was nice to see some normalcy from his nephew. He tried to express his disappoint and disapproval in Zuko’s new tendency towards thievery, but while Zuko acknowledged it, he didn’t understand. And when they had to beg, Iroh did his best to bear the brunt of the humiliation, shielding Zuko from people’s cruelty. 

And so their days as fugitives passed. Until one night, Zuko, off on his own, didn’t come to the hideout he and Iroh had found on the outskirts of town. Iroh paced, waiting for him. He had never taken this long before. But he has his swords, Iroh reminded himself. He can handle himself. And he wouldn’t appreciate Iroh showing up to save the day if it didn’t need saving. Still, Iroh thought, it was better to have a grumpy nephew than a hurt (or arrested or dead) one. 

The village was a bit further than he remembered, but Iroh walked quickly. He slowed when he arrived, but remained tense, eyes alert and ears pricked. It wasn’t a large village, and most people were inside at this time of night. As he neared the center of town, though, he heard a bit of a commotion and picked up his pace again. Where Zuko was, commotion tended to follow.

His hunch was right. He rounded a corner and found his nephew pinned against a wall by two men. Three others crowded around. Zuko’s swords lay haphazardly on the ground, and judging by the way one of the men was holding his side and the bruise on Zuko’s cheek and blood dripping from his nose, there had been a fight. No one noticed Iroh, and he hung back, assessing the situation. 

“Let me go,” Zuko demanded, struggling against the grips of the men. One of the three not holding Zuko stepped forward and slammed his arm against Zuko’s neck, cutting him off with a gasp.

“What you think you can just steal from us and get away with it?” the guy asked. He let out a nasty laugh that set Iroh even further on edge. “Uh-uh, kiddo, you gotta work for money. Earn it, know what I mean.” His arm moved from Zuko’s neck, but then he was pressing too close to Zuko, who looked bewildered even as he continued to fight against the hold on him, while his gang laughed stupidly behind him, crowding in closer. The hairs on the back of Iroh’s neck prickled and his insides roared with anger, with fire desperate to get out. He took a deep breath, controlling the Dragon of the West, and stepped closer, clearing his throat to make his presence known.

“I think it would be best if you let my nephew go.”

The leader barely glanced over his shoulder at Iroh before letting out a derisive laugh. “What are you gonna do about it, old man? He’s not going anywhere before he pays us back for what he took.” He lifted a hand to grip Zuko’s chin, turning the scarred eye towards the wall, considering his face thoughtfully. “Who knows, we could even make a profit off—.”

A cry of pain cut him off as Iroh’s flames licked at his arms. He stumbled back, then turned on Iroh, furious. Iroh caught Zuko’s eye and gave him a slight nod before turning to meet the leader and his cronies now flanking him. They were all Earthbenders, but only the leader showed any mastery. The others were just thugs, throwing rocks. 

Iroh made quick work of them, chasing them away, using fire as he hadn’t done since his days in the military. He could hear Zuko fighting beside him against the two who’d had him pinned on the wall. Together, with fire, they made short work of the gang, and once all but the leader were running off, Iroh grabbed Zuko’s wrist and ran.

He didn’t let go of his nephew until they returned to their hideout, a safe distance away from the town. Then he turned on Zuko.

“Are you okay,” he asked urgently. Relief flooded through him at Zuko’s nod, pushing out his fear but not quite his anger at the scare. “Why did you not use your Firebending?”

“I…” Zuko glanced down. “You said not to.” His words held no anger, no defiance, only shame, and Iroh immediately regretted his harshness. Still, of all the times for Zuko to actually listen to him! 

Iroh took Zuko gently by the shoulders. “Prince Zuko,” he said softly, “Listen to me. You are a fugitive, a refugee, to these people not royalty. You no longer have that to protect you, and sometimes, all you’ll have is your Firebending. Just be wise about when to use it, and only as a last resort. I’d rather you reveal yourself as a Firebender than refuse to defend yourself.”

“I will, Uncle,” Zuko promised. Iroh smiled at him, released his hold, and set about making tea.

Zuko was quiet for a bit, watching Iroh work. When Iroh poured him a cup though, he said, tentatively, “Uncle?”

“Mm?” Iroh asked, pouring his own tea. 

Zuko hesitated again, but then said, “What did they mean exactly? About paying them back and making a profit?”  
Iroh took a sip of his tea to ignore the sinking in his heart. His sweet nephew had faced so much cruelty and abuse but still remained ignorant and naïve about so many things. It wasn’t the first time he’d have to explain the harsh realities of the world to a boy he loved, but that didn’t make it any easier. Even more so because he never should have let that slip through his fingers. 

There’d never been much of a need for such warnings before, and Iroh wondered how they never even encountered it in the past three years to bring such things up. He’d been negligent and Zuko had almost paid the price. 

He took another sip of tea and gave a gentle explanation. He watched Zuko’s eyes widen, his lips pucker into a frown, and Iroh was sure that, even when his worry was, at times, unnecessary, it was never misplaced.

**Author's Note:**

> Potentially a bit out of character, but I figured it could have happened at one point


End file.
